I'm Not Perfect
by maja3322
Summary: Draco and Hermione are having problems. Is it possible for them to work things out?


**I'm Not Perfect**

"Draco, please don't go," she whispered with tears rolling down her face. One of them was caught by the corner of her mouth, and laid there glistening in the summer sun. "Please stay." She usually didn't plead, but for him she would do anything.

"How can I stay?" he asked her, focusing on her shoulder. He knew that if he looked her in the eye, he would falter and give in. She had that power over him.

"How can you _not_ stay?" she hiccupped.

"Don't twist my words, Hermione," he tried to sound firm, angry. But he simply couldn't do that.

He loved her too much to really be angry with her. And he was sure that she knew that.

"I'm not, Draco," she whispered and took his hand. She held it tight between both of her own. "I'm not."

He sighed and felt his defenses cave in.

"Hermione, I love you," he whispered and leaned his forehead to touch hers. He closed his eyes. The sight of her two, brown eyes made his knees week and he really needed his strength for this conversation. "I love you, but that's just not enough anymore."

He heard her sob and was forced to open his eyes. He had to look at her, one last time at least.

"I thought love was the most important thing," she whispered, quoting the words he had spoken during their first real date, while looking intently into his eyes. He wasn't the most sensible man alive, and she had only seen him cry once. But now she saw that his grey eyes were also red and moist. "Love is the most important thing and everything else is secondary."

He drew away from her and tried to turn his back on her, but she grabbed his chin with a forceful hand and held him in place,

"You said that, remember?"

"Yes, I remember," he answered her. "But I was a romantic fool back then."

"So, you are saying that you lied to me?" he could feel her getting worked up.

"I wouldn't call it lying," he said truthfully. "I was just mistaken."

"But back then you believed those words," she insisted and he had to agree with her.

"Yes, I did," he sighed in defeat. "I believed them. But I have learned the lesson now."

She laughed sharply but Draco knew she was amused or even really angry. She was hurt and the fact that she was hurting made this even worse for him. His own pain he could live with, but hers? He had devoted the last many months of his life to prevent that. And now he was actually causing it.

"No, that's not it," she said still staring him deep in the eyes. "The difference here is that _you_ were the problem before. Now that _I'm_ the problem, suddenly love isn't good enough anymore?"

"Hermione…" he wanted to explain but felt short of words. Was she right? It was hard to remember a time when she wasn't right, that was for sure.

"Think about it Draco," she said more softly. "Back when we started you had a problem with your defenses. But you told me to be patient and just have faith in you love for me."

He remembered the day vividly. The situation had been very close to the one there were in now. Only that it was _her_ leaving _him_. He had been rude to her far too often, as a defense from all the things gone wrong in his life. And it wasn't her fault at all he just took it out on her. He didn't blame her for wanting to leave, but he still fought for her

"Now I am asking you to do the same with me," she pleaded, brought his hand to her lips and kissed it gently. "I want you to have faith in my love for you, while I work out my problem."

He knew then that he couldn't leave her now. She had said all the right things, yet again.

"Fine," he said. "But you have to let me in! You can't do everything alone. Just… just let me in your head and in your heart."

"You are already in my heart," she answered and pressed her body against his. "Actually, you _are_ my heart."

He smiled and kissed her curly hair.

"How is it that I can't seem to be apart from you?" he mused into her hair.

"Because you love me, dummy," she answered against his chest. "We are meant to be together, and together is where we are going to be."

Then she curled a hand around his neck and drew him down to meet her lips. Their kiss was hungry and needing, but was exactly what they both wanted.

"Hermione Jean Granger," he whispered when the kiss ended. "I love you more than anything in this world."

"I love you too, Draco Malfoy," she whispered back while she gently caressed his cheeks. "Don't ever doubt that, no matter what happens between us. You will always be my love."


End file.
